Silly question re. grey imports and UK stock?

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David
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This may sound like a completely dumb question, but what is the difference between imported lenses/cameras and those from UK stock?

I've been contacting numerous suppliers on eBay and the majority of their products are imports.

Does this affect their quality? Is it usually better to go for something that's from UK stock?

Thanks and again apologies for what might seem a very silly question.

Dave
 
Its normally to do with warranties.

Grey imports are the same versions sold in other regions. May have different branding (eg Canon xxxD cameras are called Kiss in Japan and Rebel in USA) and come with different accessories.

Can affect resale value as well. Plus imports could have import duty and VAT if you're buying from outside the EU.
 
So there is no difference in terms of the quality of the lens/camera and the parts used to make it?

I'm only asking because I'm after another Tamron 17-50 and it can be had relatively cheaply on the well known auction site. The price difference is so different it's putting me off buying one.
 
Grey imports are basically where the goods have been imported to this country outside of the usual channels. They will be exactly the same camera/lens as UK stock. Speaking from recent experience with a Sigma lens, it meant that the warranty wasn't valid and, of course, the additional 2 year warranty on EX lenses wasn't available.
 
Thanks for the quick replies.

If it's just a warranty issue then that's fine and something to consider. As long as they are the same lens in terms of their build quality. I thought for some reason that they were made of inferior parts/components...
 
Same items - but in many cases with a grey import (ie Sigma lenses, Nikon camera bodies) you don't get any manufacturer warranty.

IMHO in many cases its just false economy.
 
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